Recruited
by Kazooland
Summary: Lexi never got the chance to become a Pokémon trainer when she turned ten. So when she is approached by a shady man who offers her her first Pokémon, will she accept? Follow Lexi as she goes through countless battles, tough spots, and defeats.
1. Edgar

Yawn. When I signed up for this art class, I never knew it would be so boring. We've rarely done any actual art, to add on to that fact. But hey, at least it's the last class of the day! My eyes drooped as the instructor went on and on about the primary and secondary colors. We learned this in second grade, didn't we? We're seniors in high school!

The bell rang and everybody grabbed their bags, storming out of the classroom. I always liked to wait a few minutes after, because going out in the halls as soon as school was out was like being trampled in a stampede; you didn't do it unless you had a death wish. When the halls were finally clear, I grabbed my books and headed down the stairwell to fetch my bag from my locker. A few stragglers were running up the stairs, desperate to catch their bus that had probably left by now.

As I turned the combination lock, I saw a large Pokemon walking behind me carrying a stack of books. Machoke, I remembered. He's the gym teacher's Pokemon, right? I guess he was doing another teacher a favor and bringing stuff down. What a nice guy. I grabbed my bag and soon I was off. I was planning to stop at one of the cafes in Lumiose City on my way home...I could use a warm cup of tea. I threw on my hat and dashed up the stairs, glad to finally be out of school for the summer. The seniors were, at least. The wind nipped at my nose as soon as I exited the building. It sure was a cold breeze for the summer.

It wasn't that far from my school to Lumiose City - maybe a five minute walk if I hurried. I did, and I was at the cafe in no time at all. There were not as many trainers in here as there usually were. I smiled as I noticed them having a good time with their Pokemon, and I felt a slight pang of jealousy. I never had the chance to become a Pokemon trainer when I turned ten, and I was one the only one my age who didn't have a Pokemon. It's not often you see a 19 year old without a Pokemon...in fact, there are some preschoolers running around with them! I sighed, quickly finishing the hot cup of peppermint tea I had ordered. I guess it was time for me to head home, a 15 minute walk from here.

I decided to take one of the back alleys, since it was a shortcut. It wouldn't cut my walk time by that much, but still. The alley was dark and had an eerie feel to it. Some of the bricks were chipped and had green vines growing up the sides. It was obvious that people didn't come through here often.

I was surprised when I hit a dead end. Had I taken the wrong alley? It was possible I did; this city is so large that even people who've lived here for years could still get lost. I jumped as I heard the shuffle of footsteps approaching, coming from the corner of this dead end. I backed up. I wanted to leave, but part of me begged to stay and see who it was and what they wanted. My gut was telling me it wasn't a smart decision, but my brain was telling me to push ahead.

The source of the footsteps finally came into the light. A man stood there, and he wore a painfully bright red suit and had blazing red hair to match. Best not to ask, I thought to myself.

"Hey, kid," he said. He didn't sound that old to me, but still old enough to be considered a creep.

"What do you want?" I muttered. "Why're you hiding in the shadows? You all alone?"

"I've just been waiting for somebody to come down here. I was told by my boss to find a person who could be considered a powerful trainer, and you look old enough. Care to battle?"

This man talked in a very polite manner, and I wasn't expecting that from a guy who creeps in dark alleys. I scratched the back of my head, trying to think of a way to say "Sorry, but I don't have any Pokemon," without sounding stupid. "Er...I don't...I don't have a Pokemon," I mumbled.

The man looked taken aback. "What?" He was clearly shocked. "You don't have a Pokemon? You look like you are old enough. Are you? Or are you just an old looking kid?"

"I'm 19, thanks a bunch," I retorted. "I just never had the chance to get one. So...I can't really battle right now."

The man shrugged. "Very well. You can have this one, then," he said, reaching for his belt to take out a Pokeball. "He doesn't like me much. Maybe he'll take a shining to ya." He tossed me the ball, which I just barely caught in the air.

"Uhh..thanks?" I questioned.

"Don't be stupid. Let him out and see."

I pressed the button and a small Pokemon came out. On its feet, it barely came up to my knee. It was colored with various shades of purple, and black on it's legs, chest, and lower jaw. It had a large purple nose, a large pair of ears which seemed conjoined in the middle, and two small fingers on the joints of its wings. "What is he?" I asked.

"Noibat. Cute little guy, eh?" I looked down to see Noibat wrapping his little arm-like wings around my leg. He seemed content. "He does like you...go figure," the man sighed. "Anyway, go ahead and keep him. Next time you see me, though, we're gonna battle. The name's Edgar, by the way. And you?"

I picked Noibat up and cuddled him in my arms. "Lexi," I replied. "Thanks, Edgar. I'll make sure to take care of him as best as I can. He'll be in great condition when we meet again!" I waved Edgar good-bye and turned around, heading back toward the alley. I guess I'll just take the long way home, now...I can spend more time with Noibat that way.


	2. Hamlet

I had made it home in no time, carrying Noibat home the entire time. He seemed to greatly enjoy it; I'm surprised he likes me more than he liked Edgar, considering the amount of time he probably spent with him. I entered my home and was greeted by my mother, who wasn't too shocked that I finally came home with a Pokemon.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"Noibat," I cheered. "A friend gave him to me. He seemed to like me better than him."

Mom chuckled. "Well, at least you've got a Pokemon of your own, now, and I'm proud of that. It may not be the usual ones the young ones get from the Professor, but he's still pretty cute!" She calmly approached Noibat and gently rubbed his ears. Noibat moved his head away and scrunched up his eyes; I guess he doesn't particularly like his ears getting rubbed.

"I don't think he likes that, mom," I laughed.

"Ooh!" she gasped. "He's a feisty little one. Oh! I was just making some Pokepuffs for the neighbor's Glameow, but I guess I can keep a few for you to give him!" She walked to the kitchen counter and handed me a plastic container filled with the sweet Pokemon treats. "You can keep them up in your room," she explained. Noibat was reaching his little arms out and took a hold of the container, and he was now attempting to open it. "And make sure you keep them out of his reach!"

I laughed. "Don't eat them just yet," I told Noibat, who reluctantly obeyed and just held it close to him. "Thanks, Mom!" I called as I ran up to my bedroom. I took out one of the treats, a mint one with tons of frosting, and gave it to Noibat. He devoured it in three quick bites, and jumped into my arms as if to thank me. "Now, what do I name you?" I said aloud.

I sighed. I never was too good at giving names. I looked around and this time, Noibat was walking over to my bookcase. He started pulling books out of it - or attempting to. "Hey, what're you doing?" Noibat turned his head to look me in the eye, blinked, then turned back to the bookcase. By now he had successfully pulled out three books. I started picking them up, and came across "Hamlet," one of my favorites that Shakespeare had written. "Huh...What do you think of the name Hamlet?" I asked him. He jumped off the bookcase into my lap and pulled the book from my hands, proceeding to open it and flip through the pages. He looked back at me, grinned, then turned back to the book. "I'm guessing that's a yes, little man?" I asked.

I returned the books to the shelf after struggling with Hamlet to get the book back. I guess he took a liking to it, even though he can't read.

"What do you say, Hamlet? Want to go ask the professor to teach us how to battle?" Hamlet promptly jumped up out of my lap and crawled up onto my shoulders. "You're excited, huh?" I asked. Well, I guess this is a trip back to Lumiose City tomorrow. "Wait until tomorrow, little guy. For now, we've got to get some rest. It's gonna be a tough day for you tomorrow, Perhaps we'll run into Edgar again!" At the mention of Edgar, Hamlet stuck out his tongue. "You don't like him, I know, but you can become strong enough to defeat him, right?" Hamlet nodded.

I reached for the Pokeball which I had set in my bag, and Hamlet quickly knocked it out of my hands. "Hamlet, no," I said. He crossed his little arms. "Oh. You don't like being in there?" I asked. He shook his head. "Fine. You can stay out for tonight, but if you cause any trouble then you can't stay out anymore."

* * *

I had woken up to Hamlet squirming around under my blankets. He pulled them off of me and jumped on my chest. "Eager to get started?" He nodded.

I quickly gave him a breakfast treat of a mocha Pokepuff while I chowed down on some cereal. Mom had already left for work, so I took Hamlet and headed out to Lumiose City. I checked the same alley where I had met Edgar and Hamlet, but had no luck. I stopped inside the cafe for a quick drink.

"Lexi!" the waiter called, making his way through the plethora of trainers and pokemon in the cafe for breakfast. "Where'd you get the pokemon? Did Sycamore give it to you?"

He smiled brightly as he wiped his hands on the front of his apron. His name was Jake, and he was always teasing me about not having my first pokemon yet. Jake had gotten his Pansear from his mother fifteen years ago, and now he and the newly evolved Simisear cooked together at this cafe. "I got it from a friend yesterday, actually, right after I left this place. He's taken a liking to me pretty fast," I told him.

"Yeah? I can see that." Jake reached his hand out to ruffle Hamlet's ears. It was clear that Hamlet didn't enjoy that gesture, because he growled and tried to bite Jake's hand.

"Man, I'm sorry," I whined.

"Don't worry, kid. The little guy didn't do anything, it's all good!" Jake grinned and returned to the counter. "Sim, get me a hot chocolate and a box of Puffs," he asked the Simisear who was seated beside the display case. It left, returning later with the requested items. Jake returned to Hamlet and I, giving us the snacks. "It's on me. Make sure the little guy doesn't eat all of them." Hamlet took a hold of the box, managed to open it, and took one out. He gobbled it down in a matter of seconds, and kept the box held close as if he was guarding them.

"Thank you so much, Jake."

"No problem. You two have fun," he grinned, "and I'll be waiting for a battle someday. Sim's waiting, too!"

"Sure thing!" I yelled as I dashed out of the cafe, slowly sipping the hot drink as I maneuvered my way through the busy city. I looked at all of the shops and other tall buildings which had items for sale for your Pokemon. I could finally go to those!

Professor Sycamore's lab slowly came into view as I strolled down South Boulevard. "Well...this is the day," I told Hamlet. I took a deep breath before throwing open the doors of the mansion-sized building and going inside. "I'm guessing you're here for the Professor? He's up in his office on the third floor. Go right ahead," the receptionist said, not once looking up from her computer. She looked terribly bored; her eyes were droopy and her head rested on her hand. I walked to the elevator and went up the three floors.

The office it opened up in was magnificent. Paintings of various Pokemon lined the walls, most of them were ones I had never seen before. There was a scientist working on something toward my left, and toward my right stood Professor Sycamore, looking through a bookcase.

I had seen the Professor once before, but I was a lot younger. I was seven, in fact, when I went with my older brother Mark when he got his pokemon. I remember that he had said to me, "Lexi, I can't wait until you come back to receive your own pokemon, too! I can tell you will be a great trainer, just like your brother will, and you will grow up to do great things."

I smiled as a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I shook myself out of my stupor as the Professor turned around and looked at me. A few awkward moments passed before he recognized me as Mark's younger sister. "Lexi?"he said. "Oh, it's been years! Twelve years. I never saw you to get your pokemon; what happened to that?"

I shrugged. "Guess I never got around to it. But look," I cheered as I held out Hamlet, who still clutched the box of Pokepuffs. "I got my own little one just yesterday."

The Professor stepped forward and took a look at Hamlet, who grinned and playfully nudged his shoulder. "I can tell he likes you a lot, considering the time you've spent with him! He's growing nicely, too." He stopped talking for a few seconds, then continued, "So. What did you need?"

"I wanted to learn how to battle. I guess I thought you were the closest person I knew that could actually be of any help, since you're a Pokemon Professor," I explained. "I want to be able to challenge gyms and battle with my friends soon, and was hoping you'd teach me."

He nodded, shifting his weight to the other foot. "Ah, I see. Yes, I can surely do that. It's an easy task to learn, honestly. I bet you'll be ready to go as soon as you walk out of this building, with my help!"


	3. Recruited

**A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter, but I'm trying to make them longer in the future.**

* * *

Noibat wandered over to me, panting. Battling was harder than I thought it would be, and since we're practicing weaknesses and strengths, this battle really took a toll on Hamlet. One of Professor Sycamore's scientists battled with her Dragonair, and Hamlet just barely won.

"Bravo," the Professor cheered, giving us a slow clap. "Lexi, you've progressed greatly in the past few weeks, learning all there is about becoming a trainer."

I looked up into his eyes and grinned. "Really? Thank you so much, especially teaching me much more than I had asked for!" I thanked him, promptly shaking his hand.

"You're welcome. This was your last day, and I hope you have a great time on your journey. I want you to come see me when you defeat the Champion!"

"Of course!" I scooped Hamlet up and we headed to exit the building. It was comfortably warm when we left, and kids were playing around outside and eating ice cream treats. I thought about stopping at the cafe for a while, but we've gone there so many times I thought someplace else would be nice for a change. Maybe a different cafe? Hamlet and I wandered around until finally one came into view. It was painted a brilliant red. Funny; I've never noticed this before.

I walked through the doorway and was greeted by a cool burst of air. It felt nice to be in here after being out in the heat. I looked around. Bookshelves lined the back of the room and two waiters sat behind the counter. There was a man in the back of the room, sitting alone at a table. He was staring at me, and I immediately recognized him. Edgar, who I haven't seen in weeks! I rushed to the table and sat down beside him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, putting one arm on the table.

"Just wanted to check out a different place for once," I muttered. "Why?"

Edgar shrugged. "I was just waiting for somebody else." At that moment, the door opened yet again and another man walked in. I turned my gaze to the doorway to look. The man was huge - tall, I mean - and had the same flaming orange hair as Edgar. It was styled in an odd way, but what does it matter? His black suit was nice and clean, without a wrinkle in sight.

"That him?" I asked, pointing in his direction.

"Actually, yes," he growled. The man spotted Edgar and walked over to us, dragging a chair from a different table to sit at ours.

"This is the one you gave your pokemon to?" he spoke, looking me up and down.

Edgar let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes."

"And a pokemon like that was her first?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm. What is your name, kid?" he asked me.

"Lexi," I replied. I thought I was better off answering quickly, because this man looked like he could snap me in two if he really tried.

"How did you come across Edgar?"

"I was trying to take a shortcut home by going through one of Lumiose's alleys," I began, "but ran into a dead end. Edgar was there, and wanted to battle me, but I never had any pokemon. Then I got this little guy." I patted Hamlet's head, and he made a purring noise in response.

The man looked toward Edgar. "Is she a strong Trainer?"

"I don't know, Lysandre," Edgar mumbled. "I hadn't had the chance to battle her yet. I told her we would the next time we met, though."

"And that is right now," I chimed in.

"Yes...it is." Edgar stood up and grabbed a ball from his belt. "Is it okay if we battle in here, sir?"

"Of course," Lysandre boomed, crossing his arms.

Edgar released a Houndoom from the ball, and Hamlet hopped up on his feet. "You ready?"

"Of course I am," I chimed.

Edgar shouted for the Houndoom to use flamethrower, and it opened its strong jaws wide as a stream of flame shot straight at Hamlet. He tried to fly out of the way, but got a portion of his ear scorched by the fire. He swooped in, using his small jaws to bite Houndoom on the back of its neck. It howled in fury and scratched the air beside Hamlet, and in a few swipes it knocked Hamlet to the ground. The battle went on, and both pokemon fought with excitement as Edgar and I threw commands back and forth.

"Stop," Lysandre boomed. "I've seen all I need to see. Edgar, if this young lady accepts our goal, she will be your partner."

"Yes, sir."

"Your...goal?" I asked. "What's that?"

Edgar spoke up. "To create a more beautiful world by using whatever resources and materials that are available to us."

"And I am to be your partner?"

"Yes."

I pulled the chair out again and sat, thinking this through for a minute. I like their motive, but I might want to think of the consequences first. "Hm...Yes. I say yes."

"Great," Lysandre said as he put a strong hand on my shoulder. "Edgar will find you a spare uniform. For now, I'm off - but I'll run into you two sooner or later." Lysandre spun on his heel and pushed the door open, strolling right on out.

Edgar walked behind me and gave me a hug. "Good job today. I think you'll make a great partner," he told me.


End file.
